Magnificent Desolation
by Francis de Sales
Summary: When he was little, all that Cyril Wainfleet wanted was to meet the blue people that were taking over the news. He wanted to talk to them, learn from them, and for a period of time, he wanted to be one. And that was why he was going to Pandora SLASH OC/?
1. Chapter One: Channel 248

Magnificent Desolation

The title comes from Buzz Aldrin's description of the moon…. But I am making it work for Pandora…

Summary: When he was little, all that Cyril Wainfleet wanted was to meet the blue people that were taking over the news. He wanted to talk to them, learn from them, and for a period of time, he wanted to be one. And that was why; he was going to Pandora, with his older brother… Just his luck.

Disclaimer: AVATAR is not mine, no matter how much I wish that it was…

Pairing: Either Norm/Cyril or Tsu'tey/Cyril not sure yet, either way… it is SLASH!

Warnings: This is SLASH! As in guy on guy sexiness happening… Also there will be violence, some language and if I think of anything else, I will let you know… But there will obviously be some character death, as it will be unavoidable.

Authors note: So, hi! I am Fran and this is my first fanfic like ever…. I haven't ever really written anything before to share with anyone, so this is a major first for me. I have a problem with writing actual characters, so that is why my main character is an OC. I know that this can bug some people, so any constructive criticism would be well appreciated. Thanks!

Chapter One: Channel 248

The living room was empty.

This was to be expected, as it was well past eleven at night and no one in their right mind would ever want to be awake, or watching the news at that time of day… And even with a family of six, nearly the entire house was silent. There was a faint hum from some of the appliances in the kitchen and the always comforting rumble from an out of date washing machine. But overall, the house was dead silent. Which, the owners of the house would have loved, a silent house, but it could never truly be silent, seeing as they had that washing machine. That was one thing that always had managed to make Mrs. Wainfleet ashamed of her house, which subsequently meant that they never had any company over. But there wasn't anything that she could do about it, short of robbing an electronics store, and she was far too good of a woman to do that. But it sometimes stung, being the only one in their neighborhood that didn't have the best, or even the good. She hated having to look into her children's eyes and tell them that they couldn't get new clothes, or worse, had to reuse and reuse, so much that it made Mrs. Wainfleet sick with envy at her neighbors who could simply afford to buy one of everything that they wanted.

But that was society had determined was the norm and even though Mrs. Wainfleet wanted to adhere to it, it was fundamentally impossible, seeing as how they barely had enough money to get by. Yet it still left a bitter taste in her mouth when she had to shop for bargains while everyone else shopped because they felt the need for something new. However, Mrs. Wainfleet had something that many of society lacked; a loving family. Four children, a husband and more than that, she had a good life. Something that someone should have been more than proud to admit. And she was proud of her family, but it is human nature to always want something more. Human nature to want what you didn't have, and human nature to take what it is you want by whatever means necessary.

But at that very moment, Mrs. Wainfleet didn't really matter, for she was in a deep sleep, possibly dreaming about getting a new washing machine. The only person who really did matter was her son, her youngest son. He was, at that very moment, sneaking out of the bedroom that he and his brothers shared and moving slowly towards the living room. It wasn't a common occurrence that this happened, seeing as how he was the most rule abiding of the lot of them, but the second his ginger head popped out of the doorway, it was clear that the boy was on a mission. He crept out of his room quietly, trying to avoid waking up any of his older brothers, which would surely cause a racket which would end in him getting caught.

A soft hum caught the young boy's attention, which caused him to startle and to press against the wall, his breath sped up and he glanced quickly around, and determined that there was no immediate danger that he was going to face. He peeled himself off of the wall, and continued down to the hallway, at a much slower pace than before. He hopped across the hallway as he came across one of the many creaky parts of the upstairs hallway. After carefully making his way down the stairs, at an almost painstakingly slow pace, he eventually arrived in the living room, his heart racing even more rapidly. He had made it… or at least he had gotten passed his parents room, and his dad was no heavy sleeper. The nine year old let out a very quiet whoop of joy and grabbed one of the blankets from the couch and laid out in front of the family's television set. It was relatively small, squat and it only had four hundred channels, unlike his best friends' television, which was 4D and had over one thousand channels. He frowned and pushed that thought aside, trying to stick to the matter at hand. He reached a bony finger out and pressed the on button to the television, praying that it was at a low volume, because if his sister had been watching it last, it would probably destroy his eardrums. Thankfully, it was a low whisper of volume, meaning it had been his dad; the man had ears like an elephant. Or what the young boy new about elephants before they had left. Gone… extinct, whatever the real word was, he didn't really know anyways.

When he realized it wasn't one of the news channels, he quickly started clicking down, hopefully reaching his destination within a matter of seconds. When he did finally land on channel two hundred and forty eight his face broke out into a wide grin and he backed away from the TV, sliding on his belly until he was a safe distance away from the screen. He placed his head in his hands and cricked his neck up so he could see the television clearly. It was an awkward angle, and it wasn't very comfortable, but he didn't really care, so long as he got to see the news about that new discovery. The one that they were sending people to, it was amazing just thinking about it. And the nine year old did, he thought about it a lot. His dark green eyes widened in wonder as he saw the shuttle, the massive hulking space shuttle that would be taking some of the first scientists to Pandora. The footage was minimized to the top right hand corner as the familiar face of Simon Polanski, one of the nation's most popular anchormen appeared, with a smile planted firmly on his tan face.

"Yes, for the first time in nearly five years, there has been another take off to the recently discovered Pandora. We here on Earth are wondering just what the foreign world is like, and we here at CNOX have received some photographs taken by some of the first humans to enter the new land. If you would like to see them, flip to channel 702 right now—"

There was a pause, obviously waiting for everyone to do it, the nine year old didn't even budge. For as long as he could remember, if anyone said to go passed channel 398, he wasn't supposed to touch the screen, because he would get nothing but static or some lady telling him to buy the channel. After a few moments of silence, Simon Polanski returned to what he had been saying.

"The pictures are breath taking, and from what we have heard about the planet, it is as well. When talking with those who have returned back from their stint on the small moon orbiting Polythemus, they described it as awe inspiring. And they have also said that it is inhabited, not only with creatures that are similar to our own. But also with a humanoid being called by those working on building the compound the blue people. Described as being nearly ten feet tall, it makes us wonder, are they friend or foe?"

The television was suddenly shut off and the boy was plunged into darkness, only the faint glow of the hallway light was visible. He immediately turned around and saw that his father was standing behind him, his face looking haggard and eyes tired, but there was no anger in them, so the child figured that he would not be in too deep of trouble.

"I think that it is a little past your bed time, don't you think so too squirt?" he said, his accent thick with sleep. He was from The United European Countries, specifically from Ireland, same with his wife. But they had moved the United States shortly after having three of their children, because they wanted him to get a better paying job, and he found one, even if the pay was still low, he made more money now than he had in his entire life working back home.

"No! Dad, please, they were talking about the aliens again…" He said, his lip quivering in hope that his father would give in. But it was no use. His father was strict, and that could be a good thing, but at times it could also be a bad thing. Such as that very moment in time.

"I don't care if they were about to introduce you to one of the bloody things. It's time for bed, son." The Irish man scooped up the young boy, taking his weight easily. "But, dad, I really want to see them…"

There are times when people change your life. Small things that don't seem important until you look back and realize that was the moment your entire life changed its path. And at that moment in time, it was when that young, nine year olds life changed. All because of something his father said to simply get his young son to quiet down and go to bed so he could go to bed himself. If the young father knew then just what his son was going to do, he probably would have never even mentioned it. He would have tucked it away and prayed that his youngest son would never even think about anything like that. Unfortunately, he had no idea what he was about to instill into his youngest child's mind. And because of that it only took ten words to change Cyril Wainfleet's life forever. And those words were:

"You can see them all you want when you go."


	2. Chapter Two: Aerophobia

Magnificent Desolation

The title comes from Buzz Aldrin's description of the moon…. But I am making it work for Pandora…

Summary: When he was little, all that Cyril Wainfleet wanted was to meet the blue people that were taking over the news. He wanted to talk to them, learn from them, and for a period of time, he wanted to be one. And that was why; he was going to Pandora… unfortunately, his older brother would be there anyway.

Disclaimer: AVATAR is not mine, no matter how much I wish that it was…

Pairing: Either Norm/Cyril or Tsu'tey/Cyril not sure yet, either way… it is SLASH!

Warnings: This is SLASH! As in guy on guy sexiness happening… Also there will be violence, some language and if I think of anything else, I will let you know… But there will obviously be some character death, as it will be unavoidable.

Authors note: So, hi! I am Fran and this is my first fanfic like ever…. I haven't ever really written anything before to share with anyone, so this is a major first for me. I have a problem with writing actual characters, so that is why my main character is an OC. I know that this can bug some people, so any constructive criticism would be well appreciated. Thanks!

"Hello I am speaking English!"

_"Kaltxì oe ma san Na'vi" _[hello, I am speaking Na'vi]

Chapter Two: Aerophobia

The meek shall inherit the Earth. And the rest of us will go to the stars. –Omni Magazine

* * *

Cyril hated flying. He had never been one to think it fun or exciting and when he and his family had gone on vacation, they had had to take the super speed light rail instead of flying as he had a panic attack when his father had even brought that up as an option. But he knew the second that he had signed up to go on the fifteenth shuttle to Pandora that he would be flying. Going up into the vast unknown and all that jazz, but he hadn't counted on just how much that Cyril would have to do in preparation for the flight. He had waited, nearly seven years before the opportunity arose. And that was why Cyril had studied, studied until he couldn't even stay awake, in order to make sure that he would be guaranteed a spot in the coveted AVATAR program. His mom and dad had even joked that when he was a teenager, they had simply figured he was going to marry his study guides. And school software, something that the rest of his family hadn't been that invested in. All of his brothers had gone into the military and his sister had gone to community college and became a police officer. Cyril on the other hand had studied, gone to Harvard (one of the best schools even if it was a little out of date compared to some of the virtual universities that more and more people were going to…) and graduated with honors. With a focus on Zoology and Sociology, not to mention that he had studied the Na'vi language tirelessly. He sure as hell wasn't the best linguist in the world, but he figured that he was pretty damn good, seeing as how he could at least carry on a conversation. Then Cyril had moved on to Med School, hoping that would polish his record even more, and bring him one step closer to obtaining his dream of venturing to Pandora.

But he had still been unsure whether he would be chosen to actually be in the program, or even to get an avatar of his very own. Thankfully, he had been chosen, him, out of thousands upon thousands of applicants. And he couldn't have been happier. His mother had even made a cake. Keyword in that sentence was that she had MADE him a cake. Cyril had never even known that his mother knew what baking was, let alone how to make something old fashioned like a freaking cake.

Cyril was startled out of his thoughts when he heard a tinny voice come over the intercom to his left. "We are now boarding passengers with last names A-L, please board within the next thirty minutes."

Based on his last name, he would be waiting for around an hour, which, compared to how long he had waited to even be standing there, he could wait a measly thirty minutes or so. Cyril turned to face the window, taking in his last moments on earth for at the least, twelve years. His eyes turned up, looking at the slate grey sky that had become a steady cloud over the world. In fact, Cyril struggled to even remember a day when he had seen a clear blue sky. And when he looked down at the ground below and only found a few workers milling around the launch pad, checking the final details to make sure that everything went smoothly. It was a stark contrast from the normally jam packed streets that he had become so used to. But with overpopulation, what else could one expect. A soft rustle of clothes caught his attention and he turned around, coming face to chin with a rather tall man looking out the window as well.

"S-sorry," The guy said, stuttering slightly. It took Cyril all of two seconds to realize that the guy was a scientist. Because no way in hell was he part of his brothers' profession, he was skinny, lanky and looked entirely too non-threatening. Not to mention the guy had a book on Pandoran botany clutched in his left hand.

"It's no problem," Cyril said, a large grin planted firmly on his face, he then thrust his hand out to greet the taller scientist. The moment he looked at him totally he realized that it was Norm. He vaguely knew him, but Cyril had never been one for introductions, choosing instead to keep to himself. "I'm Dr. Cyril Wainfleet… Don't call me doctor or anything like that-" Cyril said in greeting.

The other man grasped his hand; Cyril tried not to flinch at just how sweaty the man's palm was. "I know who you are; we went through training together... But, my name's Norm, Norm Spellman." Cyril's lips quirked upwards, that was a name that you rarely heard anymore. It was probably even less popular of a baby name than Cyril's own name was. Cyril was just about to open his mouth to respond when suddenly Norm began to fire off questions.

"Are you're the same as me right, you are going to help Dr. Augustine in the AVATAR program? I never really got to get to know anyone, other than Tom, who was going to help Dr. Augustine—"There was a pause, obviously lamenting the loss of the man. Cyril hadn't known him well enough. Sure he felt sorry for the man, after all, he had trained to go up into space, only to be killed a short while before they actually left. Norm's face once again returned to its natural good humor. "But I am so excited I mean… PANDORA!" Norm was at least optimistic, which was a fresh breath from the entire rather pessimistic wave that had taken over humanity as of late. And once again, Cyril was about to respond to Norm when the lanky man interrupted him. "I can't wait, I have been reading everything I can get my hands on, have you read Dr. Augustine's book? It's fascinating, I love botany! And I have been working on my Na'vi… Do you speak Na'vi—"Here Norm paused to take a breath and then shook his head slightly. "Of course you speak Na'vi… I can't wait to meet Dr. Augustine, I hear that she is the best there is—"

"Norm!" Cyril exclaimed, his hands thrown out to silence the rambling man. "Yes, I am entering the AVATAR program; I am really excited about that as well. We're most likely going to be sticking together for the duration of our time on Pandora. And I have read Dr. Augustine's book, but I'm more interested in Zoology, not that botany doesn't have its merits." He said, nervously brushing his hand through his slightly shaggy ginger hair.

_"Si srane Norm oe si plltxe Na'vi." _Cyril said, causing Norm's eyes to widen and a large grin to break out on his face.

_"Smon nìprrte'." _Norm said, his face lighting up. _"Srake fnan ngal lì'fyati le Na'vi"_

Obviously, Cyril thought, Norm had practiced very hard to be where he was today and it made Cyril grin. And probably just like him, it was always hard to find someone to speak to with the language, seeing as how most people only knew phrases and it took a relatively long time to actually learn the language.

_"Tì'efumì oeyä oe ma."_ Cyril said, and Norm nodded. "I have been studying it for quite some time…"

Norm and Cyril talked lightly for the remainder of time. Conversing about all the topics they could think of, with Norm doing most of the talking, and Cyril chipping in every once in a while. They spoke of earth and their schooling, animals and plants and mainly about how they were both so excited to be going to Pandora. And Cyril was shocked to realize just how much he found Norm entertaining, he had always had a hard time making friends, seeing as most of the time he didn't want to be bothered by interruptions, and in Cyril's prepubescent mind, that had been what he had classified as friends. Just a series of interruptions and loud noises, and to be frankly honest, Cyril hadn't really noticed how empty his life had been, and looking back upon it, he couldn't bring himself to care.

"—I'm an only child, so my parents were really against me going, mainly my mom. She was afraid that they would never see me again, she even tried to go here with me… Thank goodness she couldn't, I mean I love her, but she can get really emotional. You know? Like sobbing and everything, I could hardly get her to go to my kindergarten graduation she was crying so badly… I had to tell everyone that my grandma had just died so they wouldn't tease me… What about you, what's your family like?"

Cyril's face darkened. He loved his family, that much was obvious, but he didn't want to think about his brother. He could be rather…. No, Lyle could be a damn big bully, he always had been, and the army, in Cyril's opinion, had allowed that aspect of him to flourish. Meaning that Lyle could be a downright idiot when he wanted to be. Shoot first, shoot later, kill last and never ask questions. And Cyril didn't want to see him again, if he was totally honest, he would like that if when he got there, Lyle was on his way out. He didn't want him dead, but maybe a mental breakdown would cause him to vacate Pandora, and allow him and Lyle to not come into contact with each other.

"I'm the youngest of four. All my brothers are in the Military and my sister is a police officer. Two parents… Nothing that different than normal I suppose..." Cyril said, trying to keep everything simple. He didn't want Norm asking questions about his family. I would only cause strain between the pair and dampen Cyril's mood. Norm thankfully could tell that it was a sore subject and decided to leave it at that.

And once again, after a little over an hour and thirty minutes, the same metallic voice rang again and Cyril could feel his heart racing. "We are now boarding passengers with last names M-Z, please board within the next thirty minutes."

Both he and Norm looked at each other, each trying to contain their excitement. When Norm suddenly stopped and looked thoughtfully at the restroom to his left. "Hey… Do you think I should go to the bathroom? I mean, we are going to be flying for a long time." Cyril frowned thoughtfully, that was a rather good question and he shrugged, but both of them noticing a few people going to the bathroom decided to do just that.

After they stopped in the restroom and completed their necessary bodily functions, both Norm and Cyril walked towards the gate. A hulking man was standing in front of them, and Cyril could feel Norm tense up behind him. But thankfully, everything went without a hitch. With both of them not getting searched too thoroughly and they were standing in line, waiting to be shuttled up to the ship.

It took only a few minutes to reach their shuttle and Cyril could hardly contain his enthusiasm, this was real. It was really going to happen. It was an odd contraption that took them up into the ship itself. Everyone was given a mask of oxygen, just in case they would need it. Cyril looked back and laughed a little as he noticed how pale Norm had got with that information. It took everyone a short time to reach the ISV Venture Star, something Cyril was infinently grateful for. Because as soon as he had reached that weightless feeling of zero gravity, he had gotten a little nauseous. Norm however, looked like he was having the time of his life. When they finally reached the ship itself, Cyril's breath caught in his throught.

"Damn." Cyril whispered.

The thing was white. A blinding explosion of sterility and technology that made Cyril feel comforted slightly just by how clean it looked. There were compartments upon compartments and Cyril knew unequivocally that he would be staying in one of those for the next six years. That made his mouth go dry, he didn't like flying and to add on to that, he didn't like very small spaces. Norm put a comforting hand on his shoulder and Cyril smiled before punching him playfully and smiling. It was hard to even punch in no gravity and Norm had to be helped back into the group because he had flown off after the seemingly light punch that Cyril had given him. It was hard to stay in one spot and to Cyril, it almost felt like swimming in air... it was amazing.

A stout women, dressed in all white glid over, her hair done in a tight bun, and if it wasn't for the kind smile on her face, Cyril would have thought she was a drill sergeant. "Hello my name is Dr. Marilyn Yates, and welcome to the ISV Venture Star… I am the head Cyrogenetisist here, meaning I will put you to sleep and wake you up. We have only had three deaths on board and that happened on our first mission. So on your way to Pandora, there is nothing to worry about. You have each been assigned a cell number, we will go through and call ten cells at a time, starting with M and ending with Z, seeing as your pods are sorted alphanumerically. That being said, any questions?"

Norm timidly raised his hand.

The woman looked annoyed but called on him anyways, "Yes?"

"How often to people check up on the sleeping chambers? In case someone wakes up I mean…" The woman chuckled and grinned rather toothily at Norm. "Every few months or so, but the medical team and myself all have automatic awake signals in our pods. Meaning if someone wakes up, or begins to experience any medical failure, we are woken up and can treat the person immediately. Any other questions?"

Seeing none the woman nodded and then looked down at the holoscreen held in her hand. "Very well, we'll start with Mackey – Nelson." Ten people awkwardly went forward out of the crowd, they were then all attatched to each other, that way none of them could float off on their own. Cyril recognized the woman named Mackey as one of his second oldest brother, Liam's, good friend. He tried to catch her attention, but she was taken away by a short little Hispanic woman who had a big enough smile to light up the entire ship. The pattern continued on, Dr. Yates giving out ten names and then the group was escorted to their cells somewhere else on the ship. "Okay, next is Sato-Velker." Norm stepped forward but not before turning back to Cyril and smiling at him. "See you in Six years."

Six years that was a hell of a long time.

Six _swok _years.

Soon, the crowd had dwindled down and when the Hispanic woman did not return Yates smiled at the rest of them, and Cyril did a quick head check, there was only seven of them left. "You all are at the end of the alphabet, which means, lucky for you, you all get the scenic doors right to the back of you. This also means that you get out first when we reach Pandora." There was an excited tittering from some of the scientists and a few grumbles from the other two, and judging by their musculature, they were most definitely military.

"Wainfleet, you're up first."

Yates guided Cyril over to the open pod farthest from the entrance and smiled at him. "No need to panic, just get on up and lay right down on your back… Make sure you're comfortable, after all, you're going to be in there for quite a long time... And I'm going to have to strap you down, just so you don't fly anywhere."

Cyril did as he was told. With the assisstance of Dr. Yates, he floated forwards and trying to keep his breathing even, he then jumped up and lay down on the comfortable material, just like what those astronauts slept on. Once he had moved around a little bit he felt Yates tying him down… Cyril was sure that it wasn't really what she was doing, but his wondering mind kept picturing him getting strapped down so he couldn't escape. The doctor suddenly appeared in front of his eyes and he jerked a little in surprise and she shined a light in his eyes, checking for pupil dilation. "Good night, Sleeping Beauty." He felt a sharp prick in his arm and then a coldness rush up his appendage. Making the entire area numb, which felt like he had lost it. That it had just been frozen off of his body, like a wart. Not that Cyril's arm was a wart… The coldness climbed down from his fingers into his legs and to his privates, and he grimaced at the feeling. He didn't want any feeling leaving his downstairs, he was pretty sure that no man did.

As he could feel the feeling travel upwards, he was pushed backwards, his gaze was soon trapped in darkness and no light could be seen anywhere, Cyril felt his breathing rate increase and he could feel his heart beat become erratic. The feeling raced passed his arms, and soon he couldn't feel his neck and finally it reached his head. Cyril's last thought before he left earth for more than a century was:

"No... Stop. I don't want to go."

* * *

_"Si srane Norm oe si plltxe Na'vi." _[Yes, Norm I do speak Na'vi]

_"Smon nìprrte'." _[Nice to know you.]

_"Srake fnan ngal lì'fyati le Na'vi" _[Do you speak Na'vi well (fluently)]

_"Tì'efumì oeyä oe ma." _[In my opinion I do]

_"Swok." _[sacred]

So... Please review and all of that Jazz... I would make me really happy :]

Also, I am starting a poll as to who Cyril should end up with in the end! And the possible pairings are:

Norm/Cyril

Tsu'tey/Cyril

All you have to do is just put your vote in a review! Thanks for reading :)


	3. Chapter Three: The Tumor

Magnificent Desolation

The title comes from Buzz Aldrin's description of the moon…. But I am making it work for Pandora…

Summary: When he was little, all that Cyril Wainfleet wanted was to meet the blue people that were taking over the news. He wanted to talk to them, learn from them, and for a period of time, he wanted to be one. And that was why; he was going to Pandora… unfortunately, his older brother would be there anyway.

Disclaimer: AVATAR is not mine, no matter how much I wish that it was…

Pairing: Either Norm/Cyril or Tsu'tey/Cyril not sure yet, either way… it is SLASH!

Warnings: This is SLASH! As in guy on guy sexiness happening… Also there will be violence, some language and if I think of anything else, I will let you know… But there will obviously be some character death, as it will be unavoidable.

Authors note: So, hi! I am Fran and this is my first fanfic like ever…. I haven't ever really written anything before to share with anyone, so this is a major first for me. I have a problem with writing actual characters, so that is why my main character is an OC. I know that this can bug some people, so any constructive criticism would be well appreciated. Thanks!

"Hello I am speaking English!"

_"Kaltxì oe ma san Na'vi" _[hello, I am speaking Na'vi]

Chapter Three: The Tumor

Fear makes us feel our humanity. -Benjamin Disraeli

* * *

Cyril couldn't remember anything about his flight. He just could remember the cold. The freezing feeling that caused him to fall asleep, or whatever Cryosleep was considered as. He knew that he had been preserved, like a mummy, and that he had barely been alive. And while that thought should scare him, it didn't really; in fact, it made him a little more giddy than a man his age should act. He also knew that you didn't dream. You physically were not supposed to dream, nothing at all. Maybe a few flashing lights, or some brief images, but nothing too extravagant, and true to the RDA's promise, Cyril had not dreamt of anything. He could remember that he had seen violent flashes of blue. A deep pure blue that made him scrunch up his nose at the shade. He had never seen anything that undiluted, nothing could ever be that untouched by humans… nothing.

The first thing that Cyril could actually feel was warmth. Almost an inner fire melting the too familiar chill out of his bones. And within a few seconds he opened his eyes expecting… well, he didn't know, but he had been expecting something, maybe his first view of Pandora, maybe that face of Doctor Yates… Hell, maybe even a dinosaur. But he hadn't wanted to open his eyes only to come into contact with a dim blue glow and nothing else. It was all rather anticlimactic.

And then he felt himself moving backwards, as though someone was pulling him out. And then he was given his second glimpse of the ISV Venture star. It still had the same pristine white glow that had made Cyril feel so safe in the beginning. A young woman, probably the same age as he was floated over, a medical mask on her face, and white scrubs on her body. She soon was right above him and looked down, checking his pupil dilation with a flashlight and then her dark brown eyes crinkled, and Cyril guessed that she was smiling at him.

"Pandora?" Was the first thing that came out of his mouth, slightly raspy and he could feel just how dry it was.

"No… but pretty damn close." She said and Cyril was taken aback just by how low her voice was. He had never thought that a voice like that could come out of a woman as small as her. But as soon as she unstrapped him, she was gone, moving on to the person to his left. Pretty soon he heard the very familiar voice of Dr. Yates cutting through the chatter of the group of about forty people who were outside of their cryo-chambers.

"I hope everyone had a good sleep, you all have been in cryo for five years, nine months and twenty two days. You're gonna be hungry, and you will be weak. If you feel nausea, please use the sacks that are being distributed right now. One of the Valkyrie shuttles will be taking the forty of you now; the other will be taking the remaining passengers later. Anyways, we all hope you have a safe time on Pandora."

Cyril pushed forwards to the lockers in front of him and looked for the one that was classified as his. It didn't take very long and he opened it with a swift tug. Just his clothing pack and a few other essentials he had brought with him. He then began to follow everyone else out.

The Valkyrie was not as sterile looking as the ISV Venture Star had been. In fact, it looked more than a little grubby. An ugly off black with some stains on the walls, stains from what, Cyril didn't know, and he didn't really want to find out either. He was about to sit down, or hold himself to the seat, seeing as they were in zero gravity, when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Cyril! Hey Cyril!" Norm said and as soon as Cyril turned his head back, he saw Norm, looking the same as ever, with that same book on Pandoran Botany clutched to his chest, probably in fear it might just float away if he wasn't careful. The tall man awkwardly made his way over to Cyril, his legs kicking futilely at the ground to reach the other man. Cyril couldn't contain the laughter that began to bubble up from him. Norm gave him a look, and Cyril was sure that if Norm could have flipped him off, he would have. And Cyril figured Norm probably could have given him the bird, he was just a little too worried that he would be yelled at… or worse. It took a little while, but eventually Norm was situated next to Cyril and they both had been strapped down, waiting to go to Pandora.

Cyril heard Norm gasp slightly and he turned to see what had startled the other man so much. And then he could see why Norm had had a reaction such as that. It was… Tim, Tom. One of those names… yeah, it was Tom. But that was impossible, seeing as how the man had been killed, stabbed or whatever. He felt bad that he didn't feel as sad about seeing his identical twin floating on passed them. But there was no way he could make himself feel bad for someone he hadn't even known.

"It's his brother… The guy signed on as soon as Tom died." Norm explained, even though Cyril knew this already. But still, hefigured that Norm just needed to say all of that out loud to make himself feel just a little bit better.

It took the Valkyrie a short while before everyone was settled in and ready to take its course to Pandora. The pilot had said something over the speakers, but Cyril hadn't paid any attention. It was a heck of a lot more interesting to simply focus on his own thoughts, then listen to some boring safety talk. Unfortunately, there were no windows, something that Norm was bemoaning over, saying he had wanted to see what the moon looked like, or he had even wanted to see how big Polyphemus was in comparison to Pandora. Either way, Norm was unhappy and Cyril had to agree with him. It would have been amazing to see outer space, and more importantly to see just what the moon they were about to live on for the next couple of years looked like.

The moment that the Valkyrie entered the Pandoran atmosphere, no one was speaking, no one was moving, and it took Cyril a couple of moments to realize that he was no longer pushing up against the restraints to fly off, he was in fact, now firmly planted on the ground. And suddenly, there were a few windows appearing, the metal blinds that had sheltered them when they had entered the moons atmosphere. Norm immediately looked out the window closest to them, which was only a few seats away and Cyril followed suit.

It was beautiful.

It was like nothing Cyril had ever seen, full of trees. TREES! He couldn't remember the last time he had seen a damn tree that was as big as they were. And there were cliffs and water, rivers and lakes and waterfalls. In all of Cyril's excitement, he barely noticed how odd colored the trees themselves were. But Cyril didn't care, he just focused on what he could see, and suddenly a flying creature appeared in the far off distance, Cyril racked his brain of Pandoran fauna to come up with just what the creature was. A Stingbat, or a Riti… depending on if you were using the Na'vi Language or not. And Cyril knew that from this point on, he would probably only be calling the creatures by their RDA names. Because the no one in the RDA would really care what the blue people called them, because from what Cyril had heard, the RDA wasn't very interested in the science aspect of Pandora.

The forest began to lose its vastness, eventually dwindling down to just a few trees and then Cyril saw it. That great big tumor in the middle of the majestic Rainforest everyone had just witnessed. It was as if someone had just taken a bite out of the very world itself. Cyril could see some excavators and trucks among the lifeless crater. And it made him sick.

Cyril had never really been one for ecology rights. Sure, he had hated the fact that so many of the world's ecosystem had been destroyed, but never before had he seen something that grotesque. A giant vomitus mass in the middle of a lush forest… Norm gave a sniff of disgust and Cyril couldn't quite catch what he had mumbled, but he was positive it would have been bad if he had heard it.

And then there they were, at Hell's Gate. A big abomination of squat concrete and steel structures, piled high with razor wire. Cyril could make out a few guns, swiveling on their mounts, constantly looking for any oncoming threat. It was magnificent in terms of just how secure the base looked, it was almost impenetrable, but at the same time, it was similar to the open wound in the earth that Norm and Cyril had just witnessed.

It was extraordinary, it was ugly.

It summed up humankind, spectacularly.

Cyril was startled out of his thoughts when a dark skinned man began to yell at them. His posture perfect, but his eyes looked tired, wary. And he had probably been without sleep, more than anyone should ever have to.

"Exopacks on!"

Cyril reached down and placed his over his face with little problem, Norm struggled with the straps for a few moments before he put it on fully, his rapid breathing making the Plexiglas over his face fog. Cyril looked at the rest of those aboard the Valkyrie and frowned as he noticed Tom's brother having some difficulty with his own exopack.

"Remember people, you lose your mask you're unconscious in twenty seconds and you're dead in four minutes. Let's nobody be dead today, it looks bad on my report."

Twenty seconds.

That was all that stood between life and death on Pandora. And even if the air was poisonous to humans. It was probably a hell of a lot cleaner that the air back on Earth.

Everyone was then told to stand up, grabbing his duffle bag and supplies, Cyril and Norm waited in line, Norm being third in line and Cyril being the forth. He couldn't wait to set foot on Pandora. He could still remember when he had dreamed of this day, wanting to join those scientists on Pandora. And now, now he was doing it. The cargo ramp opened with a loud hydraulic whine and then the man in charge ordered them to go forward to the base, and not to stop for anything. And judging by the tone of his voice, the man had meant it.

It wasn't what he had expected. There was no flora or fauna or anything that wasn't man made. It was a secure base, and Cyril was put out by that. He had wanted the first thing he would have seen to be the grass, or plants or anything. He was marching on cement. Damn cement. As the line approached the entrance way to the inside of the compound, Cyril saw him.

Lyle.

And it was almost the same Lyle he remembered, a little bit worse for ware, but he was still his older brother. He looked laid back, as though holding a gun was a completely natural occurrence for him. And it probably was, seeing as he had been there for who knows how long.

The brothers made eye contact. But neither said anything, no head nods, no fist bumps, not even a smile. Just eye contact, and even with that, it made Cyril angry. He just got a freaking dismissive look. He knew he would have to speak to his brother later, even though he had planned to try and avoid the man all together.

Before he entered the compound and the large doors closed with a swift woosh. He heard his brothers voice for the first time in over eight years, and it was.

"That is just wrong."

* * *

As soon as Cyril had entered the compound, the group was ushered to a large room, full of empty tables that he was sure was where he would be eating breakfast, lunch and dinner for the remainder of his time on Pandora. And after a short wait, for everyone to get settled in to the cafeteria, a muscular man walked in. He was older, that was certain. But he could probably have taken out all of the scientists in there without breaking a sweat.

"You are not in Kansas anymore…You are on Pandora, ladies and gentlemen. Respect that fact every second of every day." Cyril briefly wondered why the man was quoting the Wizard of Oz, but let it slide; maybe the man really liked Judy Garland. Or that new remake with Sylvia… Sylvia Rivas or whatever that actresses name was. The man then pointed out the window towards the tree line that was standing in front of them, unwavering. Beautiful and hostile at the same time.

"Out beyond that fence every living thing that crawls, flies or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes for jujubes." That wasn't a pleasant thought, but Cyril almost let himself raise his hand to correct him. From what he had researched, several animals were very peaceful, only attacking when provoked. But he stopped himself in time, not wanting to get any… unwanted attention on his first day.

"We have an indigenous population of humanoids here called the Na'vi. They're fond of arrows dipped in a neurotoxin which can stop your heart in one minute. We operate at a constant threat condition yellow." He said, his eyes taking in the sight of all of the newbies. "As head of security, it's my job to keep you alive. I will not succeed – (Norm gulped nervously and Cyril had to agree with him, he didn't want to die. Not yet anyway. When he was eighty, sure… just not yet.) -not with all of you. If you wish to survive, you need a strong mental, you need to follow procedure..."

He then began to list every rule known to man. And Cyril could feel himself loose interest quickly. He wanted to see his Avatar.

He wanted to go out into the dark forest of Pandora. And he allowed himself a fanciful thought that Pandora wanted him out there too.

**

* * *

So… Hi again.**

I just want to thank BigBlueJake for correcting me about how everyone got onto the ISV Venture Star… I hope I fixed it well.

Other than that I would love some reviews… This is my first fic ever so, I am super self-conscious about it, and I can see that people have been reading it… but, no one has really reviewed it.

Other than that…

I am leaning towards Tsu'tey and Cyril, seeing as how I realized that Norm and Cyril are too good of friends to get together… but still. The poll is still open.

Tsu'tey/Cyril – 2

Norm/Cyril – 0

Thanks for reading! And PLEASE PLEASE review!


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